Finding Your Way to the Hash

Locations and Bus Stops

The LGH3 (Monday and second Sunday of the month - except when it's on a different day) and CHFH3 (Wednesday) trail flashes are supposed to be the definitive indication of where each hash is. They sometimes even include directions that look sort of convincing until you try to follow them, but you may want a little more help. Let's face it, the instructions are written by people who already know how to get there and assume that you also know the area and just want a little reminder. As for the public transport instructions, most of the hares have not used a Geneva bus for years, so it's worth looking it up for yourself before you set out.

The transport timetable and list of forthcoming runs below provide an attempt at maps and public transport details that may not appear in the flashes, but use at your own risk - some entries are guesses which have not been checked by the hare and any last minute changes sent in the hash flashes may not have been taken into account either. Given an appropriate bus/tram/train stop (or even an address within Switzerland), the timetable form will provide you with a reasonable stab at a route and timing for getting to the hash by public transport. Any map links provided may also be useful to drivers.

• The "from" options currently provided in the form below are the main interchanges - if you commonly set off from somewhere else, ask the webmaster to add it into the list
• If you're lucky, the list of forthcoming runs on the right might be up to date and showing a reasonably likely closest stop, in which case, click on the date button to fill in the date and "to" fields of the timetable.
• If you're really lucky, there may even be a link to a map showing something vaguely like the correct location (warning - the Maporama maps are usually pretty good, but occasionally the circle marking the location moves when changing the scale of the map...).

If you don't trust the timetables provided by this system (for example, some of the suggested bus connections don't leave much time to allow for heavy traffic), try working out a route for yourself from the CFF timetable system (which powers the above form) or the TPG maps and timetables.

Maps

The instructions in the hash flashes will often turn out to make little sense on their own, or be impossible to get back onto if you make a wrong turning. If you're staying in Geneva for any length of time, get yourself a copy of the Maxi Plan Sur Le Grand Genève (yellow cover) - an extremely good map of the canton of Geneva, including bus stop information (and the bus routes themselves, though it's likely that some of these will have changed since the map was made). It's also very good for working out where to set a trail (hint hint - contact your friendly local trailmaster now!). If you're staying less long, at least try to pick up a Unireso (local public transport) plan de réseau (3MB PDF 2005 version of main map section), free from one of the TPG agencies (in the main station and at the rond-point de Rive). These should be a great deal more useful than the dodgy standard tourist maps in making sense of the instructions, whether you're using public transport or driving. Failing that, if no link is provided from the table above try putting the location into one of the following:

• Multimap
• Maporama
• Geneva cantonal mapping system (provides some interesting functions, but not very user-friendly).

Geneva Public Transport Generally

Geneva offers a good public transport service to most of the canton and to some places in Vaud and neighbouring France which get used for hashes. There is a combined fare system (Unireso) which allows you to use a single ticket which is valid on trains, trams, buses, trolley-buses and mouettes within the region. Tickets (other than the "Saut de puce") are valid for a specified period of time from purchase (or occasionally validation, for some buses from France) within a certain number of zones.

Interchanges

• Gare Cornavin is the main railway station, on the northern bank of the Rhone. Its bus/tram interchange includes stops on three sides of the station, together with two other stops close by (22 Cantons and Chantepoulet) so you'll need to be sure you know where your particular bus leaves from.
• Place des Nations is the square outside the UN building, which may be a useful starting point for many visitors on business. As at May 2005, there are major roadworks under way, which mean that the bus stops keep on being moved.
• Rive, Bel-Air and Stand are along the southern bank of the Rhone, where most of the shops are.

Tickets

• For most journeys you need to buy your tickets at the TPG/Unireso machines located at most bus stops and railway stations. They don't give change, but do take CASH cards as well as the special Unireso cards (Cart@bonus - pre-paid cards available in several denominations).
• 1 hour's travel within Zones 11 to 17 (almost all of the canton of Geneva, as shown in orange on the zone maps) costs CHF 3 full fare or CHF 2.20 reduced rates (demi-tarif card valid) (prices as at May 2005). You'll need to do careful calculations of how many zones you're going through if you're going to any of the areas marked in blue (Vaud and neighbouring France). Swiss demi-tarif cards used not to be valid for the French portion of routes except on the F bus - it's not clear whether this is still the case.
• Day tickets can also be purchased from the machines; longer term passes are available from TPG agencies.
• You can only buy tickets on the bus on services which do not have machines at the stops.
• The tickets from the machines at most bus-stops are also valid on the local trains as long as they cover enough zones and time for your journey.
• If you travel beyond Celigny (for example to Nyon) you'll need a normal train ticket.